The Caribbean states attract international migrants with beautiful beaches, tropical climate and natural diversity. The list includes holidayers, and notable people owning homes and vacations alongside of tax free benefits.

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated significant changes in mobility, migration and tourism patterns in the region. The pandemic has generated significant changes in mobility, migration and tourism patterns in the region. Border closures and travel restrictions have severely impacted many Caribbean economies that depend on tourism for jobs and overall economic well being. It is worth mentioning that many caribbean islands are vulnerable to yearly hurricanes and other disasters.

According to UN international migrant data, a total of 1.61 million immigrants living in the Caribbean region by 2020 (including intra-regional immigrants and immigrants from countries outside of the region). Of these 1.61 million, 46 per cent (approximately 746,000) were immigrants from outside the region, mostly from South America and Europe.

When it comes to citizenship, most Caribbean States grant citizenship at birth (jus soli), but this right is restricted in the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Suriname. Only 5 caribbean states offer instant citizenship for investments requiring atleast $100,000.

Most Popular

According to the UN data, the most popular caribbean islands for immigration are

  1. Dominican Republic
  2. Puerto Rico
  3. Guadeloupe
  4. Trinidad and Tobago
  5. Martinique

Least Popular

These are the least popular islands for immigration.

  1. Montserrat
  2. Cuba
  3. St Vincent
  4. Anguilla
  5. Grenada

Caribbean immigration trends

The Graph shows immigration and emigration trends in the Caribbean region (Source: UN and IOM)

Below is the international immigration data for caribbean region with a breakdown by country

Caribbean International migration (2020)
Dominican Republic 603794
Puerto Rico* 247132
Guadeloupe* 90206
Trinidad and Tobago 78849
Martinique* 68624
Bahamas 63583
Curaçao* 57210
United States Virgin Islands* 56753
Aruba* 53593
Barbados 34869
Antigua and Barbuda 29386
Cayman Islands* 29242
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)* 28845
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba* 26221
Turks and Caicos Islands* 25748
Jamaica 23629
British Virgin Islands* 22164
Haiti 18884
Saint Lucia 8338
Dominica 8284
Saint Kitts and Nevis 7725
Grenada 7213
Anguilla* 5715
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4738
Cuba 3024
Montserrat* 1379

Source: IOM